Police: Gun accidentally fired at Four Winds Casino

January 11, 2009|By LAUREEN FAGAN SBT24/7 News Report

After reports of shots fired at the Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, an officer with the Pokagon Tribal Police confirms that authorities were in fact called to the casino Saturday night. Fortunately, what he described as the accidental discharge of a handgun resulted in no real injury or property damage. Sgt. Chris VanCompernolle told SBT24/7 News that a man from Illinois had a handgun concealed in his pocket. The gun accidentally discharged when he was retrieving something from his pocket and fired straight down into the carpet. No one was injured and there was no property damage, VanCompernolle said. The incident happened about 10 p.m., according to information provided by a former WSBT staffer. When asked how the incident affected casino operations and other guests, VanCompernolle said, "It did not cause considerable disruption." The gun owner sustained minor injuries from powder burns after the weapon fired. He was treated and released at the scene, he said. No charges have been filed in the case, which is being reviewed. VanCompernolle said the public should be aware that because the tribal nation is sovereign, it does not have concealed weapon permit reciprocity agreements as states do. Therefore, the right to legally carry a concealed weapon issued by Illinois does not automatically extend to Pokagon lands and properties. It's like going to Canada or any other nation, he explained. But this is also the kind of legal question that doesn't happen very often. "It's very rare," he said, adding that the Pokagon Tribal Police hope to keep it that way. The Berrien County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with the incident.